List of Governors of Alaska

Governor of Alaska
Incumbent
Bill Walker
since December 1, 2014
Residence Alaska Governor's Mansion
Term length Four years, renewable once
Inaugural holder William Allen Egan
Formation January 3, 1959
Deputy Byron Mallott
Salary $145,000 (2013)[1]
Website gov.alaska.gov

The Governor of Alaska is the chief executive of the U.S. state of Alaska. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Alaska's state government and is charged with enforcing state laws.

Eleven people have served as governor of the State of Alaska over 13 distinct terms, though Alaska had over 30 civilian and military governors during its long history as a United States territory. Only two governors, William Allen Egan and Bill Walker, were born in Alaska. Two people, Egan and Wally Hickel, have been elected to multiple non-consecutive terms as governor. Hickel is also noted for a rare third party win in American politics, having been elected to a term in 1990 representing the Alaskan Independence Party. The longest-serving governor of the state was Egan, who was elected three times and served nearly 12 years. The longest-serving territorial governor was Ernest Gruening, who served 13½ years.

The current governor is Independent Bill Walker, who took office on December 1, 2014.

Governors before statehood

Alaska was purchased by the United States from the Russian Empire in 1867, with formal transfer occurring on October 18, 1867,[2] which is now celebrated as Alaska Day. Before then, it was known as Russian America or Russian Alaska, controlled by the governors and general managers of the Russian-American Company.

Commanders of the Department of Alaska

The vast region was initially designated the Department of Alaska, under the jurisdiction of the Department of War and administered by the U.S. Army officers until 1877, when the Army was withdrawn from Alaska. The Department of the Treasury then took control, with the Collector of Customs as the highest ranking federal official in the territory. In 1879, the U.S. Navy was given jurisdiction over the department.[3]

Some believe the first American administrator of Alaska was Polish immigrant Włodzimierz Krzyżanowski. However, the Anchorage Daily News was unable to find any conclusive information to support this claim.[4]

Chief federal officers of the Department of Alaska
No. Portrait Commander Position Term in office
1 Jefferson C. Davis Army Colonel October 18, 1867
–
August 31, 1870
2 George K. Brady Army Captain September 1, 1870
–
September 22, 1870
3 John C. Tidball Army Major September 23, 1870
–
September 19, 1871
4 — Harvey A. Allen Army Major September 20, 1871
–
January 3, 1873
5 Joseph Stewart Army Major January 4, 1873
–
April 20, 1874
6 — George B. Rodney, Jr. Army Captain April 21, 1874
–
August 16, 1874
7 — Joseph B. Campbell Army Captain August 17, 1874
–
June 14, 1876
8 — John Mendenhall Army Major June 15, 1876
–
March 4, 1877
9 — Arthur Morris Army Captain March 5, 1877
–
June 14, 1877
10 — Montgomery P. Berry Collector of Customs June 14, 1877
–
August 13, 1877
11 — H.C. DeAhna Collector of Customs August 14, 1877
–
March 26, 1878
12 — M. D. Ball Collector of Customs March 27, 1878
–
June 13, 1879
13 Lester A. Beardslee Navy Captain June 14, 1879
–
September 12, 1880
14 Henry Glass Navy Commander September 13, 1880
–
August 9, 1881
15 — Edward P. Lull Navy Commander August 10, 1881
–
October 18, 1881
16 Henry Glass Navy Commander October 19, 1881
–
March 12, 1882
17 — Frederick Pearson Navy Commander March 13, 1882
–
October 3, 1882
18 — Edgar C. Merriman Navy Commander October 4, 1882
–
September 13, 1883
19 Joseph Coghlan Navy Commander September 15, 1883
–
September 13, 1884
20 — Henry E. Nichols Navy Lieutenant commander September 14, 1884
–
September 15, 1884

Governors of the District of Alaska

On May 17, 1884, the Department of Alaska was redesignated the District of Alaska, an incorporated but unorganized territory with a civil government. The governor was appointed by the President of the United States.

Governors of the District of Alaska
No. Portrait Governor Term in office Appointed by
1 John Henry Kinkead July 4, 1884
–
May 7, 1885		 Chester A. Arthur
2 Alfred P. Swineford May 7, 1885
–
April 20, 1889		 Grover Cleveland
3 Lyman Enos Knapp April 20, 1889
–
June 18, 1893		 Benjamin Harrison
4 James Sheakley June 18, 1893
–
June 23, 1897		 Grover Cleveland
5 John Green Brady June 23, 1897
–
March 2, 1906[lower-alpha 1]		 William McKinley
6 Wilford Bacon Hoggatt March 10, 1906[6]
–
May 20, 1909		 Theodore Roosevelt
7 Walter Eli Clark May 20, 1909
–
August 24, 1912		 William Howard Taft

Governors of the Territory of Alaska

The District of Alaska was organized into Alaska Territory on August 24, 1912. Governors continued to be appointed by the President of the United States.

Governors of the Territory of Alaska
No. Portrait Governor Term in office Appointed by
1 Walter Eli Clark August 24, 1912
–
April 18, 1913		 William Howard Taft
2 John Franklin Alexander Strong April 18, 1913
–
April 12, 1918[lower-alpha 2]		 Woodrow Wilson
3 Thomas Riggs, Jr. April 12, 1918
–
June 16, 1921
4 Scott Cordelle Bone June 16, 1921
–
August 16, 1925		 Warren G. Harding
5 George Alexander Parks August 16, 1925
–
April 19, 1933		 Calvin Coolidge
6 — John Weir Troy April 19, 1933
–
December 6, 1939		 Franklin D. Roosevelt
7 Ernest Gruening[lower-alpha 3] December 6, 1939
–
April 10, 1953
8 — B. Frank Heintzleman April 10, 1953
–
January 3, 1957[lower-alpha 4]		 Dwight D. Eisenhower
— Waino Hendrickson January 3, 1957
–
April 8, 1957		 Acting[lower-alpha 5]
9 Mike Stepovich April 8, 1957
–
August 9, 1958[lower-alpha 6]		 Dwight D. Eisenhower
— Waino Hendrickson August 9, 1958
–
January 3, 1959		 Acting[lower-alpha 5]

Governors of the State of Alaska

Alaska was admitted to the Union on January 3, 1959.

The state constitution provides for the election of a governor and lieutenant governor every four years on the same ticket, with their terms commencing on the first Monday in the December following the election.[11] Governors are allowed to succeed themselves once, having to wait four years after their second term in a row before being allowed to run again.[12] Should the office of governor become vacant, the lieutenant governor assumes the title of governor.[13] The original constitution of 1956 created the office of secretary of state, which was functionally identical to a lieutenant governor, and was renamed to "lieutenant governor" in 1970.[14]

Governors of the State of Alaska
No. Governor Term in office Party Election Lt. Governor[lower-alpha 7][lower-alpha 8]
1   William Allen Egan January 3, 1959
–
December 5, 1966		 Democratic 1958   Hugh Wade
1962
2 Wally Hickel December 5, 1966
–
January 29, 1969		 Republican 1966
[lower-alpha 9]		 Keith Harvey Miller
3 Keith Harvey Miller January 29, 1969
–
December 7, 1970		 Republican Robert W. Ward
1 William Allen Egan December 7, 1970
–
December 2, 1974		 Democratic 1970 H. A. Boucher
4 Jay Hammond December 2, 1974
–
December 6, 1982		 Republican 1974 Lowell Thomas, Jr.
1978 Terry Miller
5
Bill Sheffield 1989.jpg
 Bill Sheffield December 6, 1982
–
December 1, 1986		 Democratic 1982 Stephen McAlpine
6 Steve Cowper December 1, 1986
–
December 3, 1990		 Democratic 1986
2 Wally Hickel December 3, 1990
–
December 5, 1994		 Alaskan Independence 1990
[lower-alpha 10]		 Jack Coghill[lower-alpha 11]
Republican
7 Tony Knowles December 5, 1994
–
December 2, 2002		 Democratic 1994 Fran Ulmer
1998
8 Frank Murkowski December 2, 2002
–
December 4, 2006		 Republican 2002 Loren Leman
9 Sarah Palin December 4, 2006
–
July 26, 2009		 Republican 2006
[lower-alpha 12]		 Sean Parnell
10 Sean Parnell July 26, 2009
–
December 1, 2014		 Republican Vacant
Craig Campbell
(took office August 10, 2009)[lower-alpha 13]
2010 Mead Treadwell
11 Bill Walker December 1, 2014
–
present		 Independent 2014
[lower-alpha 14]		 Byron Mallott[lower-alpha 15]

Governors of Alaska by time in office

William Egan was the only Governor of Alaska ever to win more than two terms.

# in officeGovernorDaysRank
1
William Egan
4,349
1
4
Jay Hammond
2,926
2
7
Tony Knowles
2,919
3
2
Wally Hickel
2,249
4
10
Sean Parnell
1,954
5
6
Steve Cowper
1,463
6
8
Frank Murkowski
1,463
5
Bill Sheffield
1,456
8
11
Bill Walker
1,419
9
9
Sarah Palin
965
10
3
Keith Miller
677
11

Notes

  1. ↑ Brady was forced to resign due to his involvement with the fraudulent Reynolds–Alaska Development Company.[5]
  2. ↑ Resigned on request after it was discovered he was still a Canadian citizen.[7]
  3. ↑ During most of World War II, Lt. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr., was the military commander of Alaska, and held much executive power over the territory.[8]
  4. ↑ Resigned; was reportedly unhappy with the job, and did not expect to be reappointed.[9]
  5. 1 2 As secretary of Alaska, acted as governor for remainder of term.[10]
  6. ↑ Resigned to run for United States Senate, losing that election.[10]
  7. ↑ The office of lieutenant governor was named secretary of state until 1970.[14]
  8. ↑ Lieutenant governors represented the same party as their governor unless noted.
  9. ↑ Hickel resigned to become United States Secretary of the Interior; as secretary of state, Miller succeeded him.
  10. ↑ Hickel was elected as a member of the Alaskan Independence Party, and switched to the Republican party in April 1994.[15]
  11. ↑ Represented the Alaskan Independence Party.
  12. ↑ Palin resigned, citing the costs of ethics investigations;[16] as lieutenant governor, Parnell succeeded her.
  13. ↑ Campbell's position was termed "Temporary Substitute Lieutenant Governor[17] until he was confirmed by the Alaska Legislature on August 10, 2009.[18]
  14. ↑ Governor Walker's first term expires December 3, 2018; he is not yet term limited.
  15. ↑ Represented the Democratic Party.

References

General

  • "Alaska: Past Governors Bios". National Governors Association. Archived from the original on September 30, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  • Gates, Nancy (2007). The Alaska Almanac: Facts about Alaska (30th ed.). Graphic Arts Center Publishing Co. pp. 85–87. ISBN 0-88240-652-3. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
Constitution

  • "Constitution of the State of Alaska". Alaska State Legislature. 1956. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
Specific
  1. ↑ "CSG Releases 2013 Governor Salaries". The Council of State Governments. June 25, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Purchase of Alaska, 1867". United States Department of State Office of the Historian. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  3. ↑ Gates p. 86
  4. ↑ Ruskin, Liz (2002-12-20). "Barking up the wrong Pole: Hero wasn't governor". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
  5. ↑ Janson, Lone (1975). The Copper Spike. Alaska Northwest Publishing Co. p. 44. ISBN 0-88240-045-2.
  6. ↑ "New Governor of Alaska". New York Times. March 11, 1906. p. 5.
  7. ↑ Gruening, Ernest (1973). Many Battles: The Autobiography of Ernest Gruening. Liveright. p. 216. ISBN 0-87140-565-2.
  8. ↑ Personal Justice Denied: Report of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians. University of Washington Press. 1997. p. 319. ISBN 0-295-97558-X.
  9. ↑ Naske, Claus-M. (1985). A History of Alaska Statehood. University Press of America. p. 244. ISBN 0-8191-4556-4.
  10. 1 2 Naske, Claus-M.; Herman E. Slotnick (1979). Alaska: A History of the 49th State. Eerdmans. p. 309. ISBN 0-8028-7041-4.
  11. ↑ AK Const. art. III, § 4
  12. ↑ AK Const. art. III, § 5
  13. ↑ AK Const. art. III, § 11
  14. 1 2 AK Const. amendments
  15. ↑ "Alaska's Gov. Hickel Rejoins Gop Amid Speculation Over Another Term". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. April 15, 1994. Retrieved September 28, 2008.
  16. ↑ "Legal Bills Swayed Palin, Official Says". The New York Times. July 5, 2009. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  17. ↑ Forgey, Pat (July 28, 2009). "Alaska gets first ever 'temporary substitute' lt. governor". Juneau Empire. Archived from the original on October 13, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  18. ↑ "House Journal, Alaska State Legislature, Twenty-Sixth Legislature, First Special Session". legis.state.ak.us. State of Alaska. August 10, 2009. Retrieved December 17, 2009.

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